No competent gardener believes in fairy tales about a winter garden in which trees sleep like a white sleep. He has known for a long time that in winter the tree does not fall asleep at all, it continues to grow, however, much more slowly than in other seasons. And every tree in the garden continues to hope for a person, his knowledge and help. For example, how to save an apple tree in winter, if you let things take their course, hope for a chance? Do not leave your apple trees in the cold, snow and frost, help them to winter, so that next spring they will bloom again and please you with large juicy apples for more than one year.
When do you think the preparation of apple trees for winter begins? With the first cold? Too late! In the early autumn days? Were late again. Exactly six months before that, in early spring, when full mineral fertilizer is applied under the apple tree. Then, in the second half of summer, it needs to be fed with potash-phosphorus fertilizers. Especially it is necessary to ensure that potassium is in abundance. Then the chances of a successful winteringwill rise significantly. But they stop applying nitrogen fertilizers so as not to provoke the growth of shoots, not to weaken the bark and cambium.
The entire growing season, the tree should receive its moisture rate, no more and no less. Saturated with moisture (but not excessively) tissues of apple trees improve their condition in the cold season. The last time autumn-winter varieties of apple trees are watered when they finish fruiting, and summer varieties - after harvesting.
At the same time, it will be possible to avoid a dangerous, especially for young gardens, phenomenon - a summer suspension of growth. If after that secondary growth begins, which often happens, the new woody tissues simply do not have time to mature before the cold weather, the tree will be defenseless against them, and all the rest of the preparation of apple trees for winter will not help him much.
Freed from the heaviness of the fruit, the apple tree begins to actively stock up on nutrients and actively grow suction roots. The gardener has only two weeks time, during this period he must have time to dig up the near-stem circle and fertilize with organic and mineral fertilizers. Wielding a shovel, you can not particularly care about the integrity of small roots - they will recover very quickly. The delay is highly undesirable: it will entail a delay in the end of the growing season of the apple tree, which will significantly reduce its winter hardiness.
Preparing apple trees for winter also includes measures against diseases, pests and rodents. All fallen leaves, carrion, trapping belts, nests in which pests hibernate, mummified fruits shouldbe collected and destroyed (best of all - burned). Also, the cut off diseased branches of the apple tree should be burned. Digging the soil around the tree should destroy the pests wintering in it. Do not forget to feed their feathered enemies - titmouse and other birds. In late autumn, the bole of an apple tree needs to be "dressed" in armor made of roofing felt, roofing material, etc. from mice, hares and other rodents. The main thing is that the material should fit snugly against the bark, and be sprinkled with earth from below, because it is necessary to cover the apple tree for the winter in good conscience.
With the cessation of autumn rains, the air temperature is +2…+3 degrees. In dry and calm weather, you can start whitewashing tree trunks. This is the preparation of apple trees for winter, and an old tradition that has not lost its meaning to this day. Lime mortar will help apple trees avoid frost, sunburn in winter and early spring. If, however, a fungicide and an insecticide are added to the solution, fungal diseases will pass, and the stem pests that have settled down for the winter in the cracks of the bark will die.
Before whitewashing, an adult apple tree needs to clean the trunk. All dead bark, mosses and lichens should fall on a film or tarp placed under the tree in advance. This garbage must be burned. A young apple tree whitens without any preparation.
Winter will pass, however, as always. And in the fact that apple trees will be wrapped in flower clouds in spring, and in autumn they will drop sweet fruits into the hands of a caring gardener, there will be his work on pre-winter preparation.
